Ferdinand servus



(No Model.).

P. SERVUS. LOOKING DEVICE FOR PIGTURB FRAMES.

No. 440,201. Patented Nov. 11, 1890.

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V LUNITE STATE ATENT 'FFICE.

FERDINAND SERVUS, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RUDOLPH DHEUREUSE, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR PICTURE-FRAMES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,201, dated November 11, 1890.. 7

Application filed May 24, 1890- Serial No. 352,988- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FERDINAND SERVUS, a subject of the King of Prussia, and a resident of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looks for Pictures, Albums, and other Articles, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to locking devices particularly intended for frames for pictures, mirrors, or the like, but applicable to other articles, whereby such structures may be firmly held together. hen applied to frames for pictures, mirrors, &c., it serves .to clamp the back and front of the frame together or the back to the glass cover which protects the inclosed article.

The invention comprises a casing inclosing aspring acting on one end of a bar which extends outside the casing, the free end of such bar being adapted to clasp or clamp a part of the object to which the lock is applied, and thus secure said object in a locked condition by the tendency of the spring within the easing to pull the bar toward the bottom of the casing.

The mechanism of the lock consists of so few parts and they may be made of such small dimensions that the lock may readilybe concealed in the back plate of a picture-frame, in the clasp of an album, or in the flap or lapel of a porte-monnaie or portfolio.

To enable the invention to be understood and made use of by others, I have herein described the same in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, and in claims at the end hereof I have set forth the novel features for which protection by United States Letters Patent is desired.

In the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by like figures of reference in the several views, Figure 1 is aface View of apictureframe to which myinvention is applied. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the back of the frame of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner in which the frame is held when operating the lock to release the back of the frame, the lock being concealed in said back. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the inside of the back of the frame, indicating the manner of connecting the lock to the back, the interior mechanism being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the lock mechanism and its casing. Fig. 5 is an edge View of the upper end of thebar of the lock. Fig. 6 is an edge View of the lockbar provided with a stud instead of a hook or slot, and also a plan view of a plate slotted to receive the stud on the lock-bar.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the front of the frame, in this case a glass plate protecting the article to be displayed, and B the back of the frame.

To the back of frame B there is hinged a brace (J, adapted to press against a flat spring b, let into the back B, whereby said brace C may be held securely at the desired inclination to permit the frame to be supported in a standing position, as shown in 2, or when turned up, as in Fig. 1, the brace will serve as a means for supporting the frame in a suspended position, the hole in the free end of the brace enabling that to be done.

The lock-casing D is secured on the inside of the back B of the frame, as seen in Fig. l, in which position it is entirely concealed from view. The lock mechanism comprises a spring 0, of any suitable form,held in casing D, and a bar (Z, one end of which enters the casing D, and is provided with a shoulder 6, upon which the spring 0 constantly acts to keep the bar at or toward the bottom of the casing; but when said bar is pulled upward the spring constantly tends to pull it back to its normal position in the casing. The opposite end of the bar (Z is provided with a hook f or with a stud or slot, serving in some cases as an equivalent for the hook. The purpose of the hook is to clamp over the front of the frame or the glass cover protecting the object in the frame. The bar (1 is made to pass through the upper edge of the back of the frame, and is thus guided and prevented from being bent when the lock is operated. The back B of the frame is provided at that end opposite the hooked end of the bar with one or more hooks g, which are adapted to clamp over the front A of the frame or the glass cover in looking the back of the frame in place.

It will be understood that a mirror may be locked to the supportingback B as readily as may a frame-front or glass cover.

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In looking the parts together the back Bis by the hook on the end of the bar clamped over the edge of the frame-front, glass cover, or mirror, and the back B by means of the brace O is drawn backward, thus pulling said bar out of its casing against the power of the spring 0, the back B being drawn far enough backward to'permit the hooks g on thelower edge of the back B to catch over'the bottom edge of the front of the frame or the like, when the back B is allowed to adjust itself by the spring 0 of the lock pulling the bar at by its hook f.

The operation of clamping or releasing the back of the picture or the like is indicated in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Alocking device for application to frames for pictures, mirrors, and the like, consisting of a casing adapted to be applied to the article to be looked, a spring inclosed bysaid casing, and a bar one end of which co-operates with the spring in the casing, while its other end is constructed to engage with some suitable part of the article to be locked, substantially as set forth.

2. Inalocking device for the purposes herein described, the combination, with a casin g containing a spring and a bar having a shoulder at one end, which co-operates With the spring within the casing, of a stud or its equivalent suitably attached to the article to be locked and co-operating with the protruding end of said bar, substantially as set forth.

3. A frame for pictures or the like, having concealed therein a casinginclosinga spring, in combination with a bar one end of which is provided with a shoulder co-operating with the spring within said concealed casing and its other end provided with a hook or its equivalent adapted to co-operate with a part of the picture-frame, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a back plate provided with hooks or the like at one end, a casing fixed to said back plate and containing aspring, and alock-bar one end of which has a shoulder co-operating with the spring within said casing, while its opposite or projecting end is provided with an engaging device, of a mirror, glass cover, or other article adapted to be clamped to said back plate bymeans of the hooks on said plate and the engaging device on the spring-controlled lockbar, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, this 25th day of February, A. D. 1890.

FERDINAND SERVUS.

- Witnesses:

W. H. EDWARDS, W. HAUPT. 

